U.S. travel alert removes Eilat reference

The U.S. State Department has removed references to Eilat in a travel advisory that had been issued in the wake of rocket attacks on Israel and Jordan.

The new advisory, issued Tuesday, states that Americans visiting southern Israel “should be aware of the risks and should follow the advice of the Government of Israel’s office of Homefront Command.”

An Aug. 5 advisory had warned U.S. citizens “in Eilat and Southern Israel to learn the location of the nearest air-raid shelter.”

Israeli Tourism Minister Stas Meseznikov said the original advisory unfairly singled out Eilat, even though Akaba also was struck by a rocket attack from the Sinai Peninsula on Aug. 2. One man was killed in the Akaba attack. Egypt and Israel have blamed Hamas for the attack.

The revision apparently came after Meseznikov met with U.S. Ambassador to Israel James Cunningham to protest the advisory’s wording.